


The South Beach Danger

by EmpressArista



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Allergies, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 13:44:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressArista/pseuds/EmpressArista
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day after Coulson snaps the braclet onto Skye's wrist, her wrist starts itching. But the hard look in everyone's eyes keeps her mouth shut. That was a mistake. </p>
<p>Story starts after "Girl in the Flower Dress" and continues through "FZZT"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It probably wouldn’t have ended up being a big deal if not for the six hours the team spent wading through the Everglades in pursuit of a South Beach dermatologist who was peddling a wrinkle cure comprised primarily of extract from Crocodile eyeballs. Destruction of an endangered species aside, the injections, which weren’t exactly FDA approved, only reversed wrinkles for about a week before the patients broke out in scaly patches and grew sharp claws, transforming a bunch of age-phobic trophy wives into some terrifying human-croc hybrid. The team had been called in after a bloody brawl broke out in downtown Miami over the latest Kate Spade purse collection. 

When they trooped back to the Bus after a long day of shooting flare guns at other airboats and preserving the life of ungrateful lizards that will probably still end up as handbags one day everyone was soaked in brackish water and eager for a hot shower. Everyone except for Simmons, who practically skipped up into the plane bubbling about the data sized from the dermatologist’s encrypted hard drive. 

“Really this level of controlled cellular replication is quite astounding.” The others counted their blessings that she directed most of her chatter at a bleary-eyed Fitz. “If Dr. Kreptwski had been a little better at purifying her extract, it’s feasible that none of the patients would have ever shown any side effects.”

“Not everyone can be as good as you when it comes to this stuff Jemma.” Skye said with just the slightest hint of a yawn. She turned to stow her satchel in one of the hanger’s lockers and missed the pleased blush that spread over Jemma’s cheeks. Fitz however, gave a small cough that startled Jemma back to her notes. 

“Even so, this is the sort of thing anyone who takes a first year biochemistry course learns. No, I think Dr. Kreptwski was trying to make sure the injections wouldn’t last very long – so patients would keep coming in.” 

“So if you cleaned it up how powerful would it be?” Agent Coulson asked. A compound that could harmlessly erase the visible signs of aging would be of interest to a number of people and not just for financial reasons. Jemma nibbled at her lower lip for a moment. 

“I’d have to run some tests. Fitz and I can start it right now and be done-”

“I think this can wait a few hours while you guys clean up and catch a few hours of sleep.” Ward said, mostly in response to the panicked look in Fitz’s eyes. His lips pursed and his next words took on a sharper tone. “After all, we’re the only ones that have access to this data.”

Skye stiffened at the jab but remained bent over her locker, pointlessly fussing over getting the buckles to lay right against the austere metal shelves. She didn’t meet the others’ eyes much these days. She didn’t do much of anything, really. Ward had stopped giving her defense lessons, Agent Coulson had stopped seeking her out when she hid in small, dark areas of the Bus. Sometimes Jemma or Leo would offer a kind word or a short conversation before they remembered themselves. 

A prickling sensation emanating from the fine hairs on her neck made Skye realize May was standing rather close to her. Skye suppressed an urge to shiver. It was true that she and May had never really talked before the whole incident with Miles but these days there was an extra level of watchfulness in May’s gaze. Something about it made Skye feel very small. Still, there was no point in prolonging the inevitable confrontation so Skye shut her locker and turned around. 

“Hi May.” 

“Put your monitor back on.” May thrust a box containing the bracelet right at Skye’s left kidney. It had been removed in order to allow her to traverse the errant doctor’s virtual footprints and records, as was usually what happened when they were on an active case and there was little chance of Skye slipping away from so many experienced agents. But the bracelet was always slapped back on the second they were back on the Bus. 

“Can’t I just go take a shower first? You know, wipe some of this pond scum off? I wouldn’t want to damage such an elegant piece of hardware.” 

May’s hard stare sharpened and she leaned forward to press the box into Skye’s abdomen. “It’s waterproof.” Skye reached down and extracted the box from May’s grasp, just barely resisting the urge to make a mocking face at May’s stone one. She yanked the bracelet free of the box and snapped it around her left wrist. 

May smirked slightly and said “But if you are so concerned about preventing damage to our hardware, Skye, then you can see to scrubbing down the wet gear that was used this mission.” 

“I would love to.” Skye gritted. May nodded and walked off to prepare the plane for takeoff. Coulson, Jemma, Leo, and Ward had ascended to the living quarters sometime during their chat and if she strained, Skye could hear the splash of someone taking a shower. It was just as well that she had been stuck with the clean up duty, Skye thought as she made her way over to the closet where all the cleaning supplies were kept. She was already last in line for the shower; it wouldn’t have made much sense for her to be sitting around upstairs, getting the nice furniture dirty. 

But a much less rational part of her brain raged at being so neatly coerced. Do this, the subtext was, and maybe I’ll think about forgiving you somewhat. That sort of thing had been common in foster care. There was always some other foster child, claiming to be the favorite, hinting that he could and would force you out if you didn’t do his homework or share of the chores. Actual children of the foster parents only paid attention when they wanted something; give me your doll or your skirt or your desert or I’ll tell Mom and Dad you hit me. 

Sometimes it was even the foster parents themselves. Now sweetheart, this is your fifth placement this year and it’s only March. I don’t think you want to break last year’s record. Now why don’t you go clean out the attic, hmmmm? It will give you a chance to really feel like you really have a part to play here. It was that kind of stuff that had eventually pushed Skye to erase herself and start over. 

Skye continued to grumble to herself as she dragged the high-powered detergent and brushes over to where a pile of wet suits, dripping in mud and unthinkable sewer muck, lay. The bracelet clinked against the metal bucket with every step, making her grind her back molars together. At least none of the foster homes had tried to leash her like a feral dog. Well, there had been that vet tech and his wife that talked a little too excitably about microchips but Skye had simply started a fight with Claudia Miller the next day at school and had been whisked away before that idea could be further explored. 

But there was really no chance to erase herself from here and start again. Even if she could detach herself from the bracelet long enough to run the program successfully one more time, her face was out there. Coulson and May and all the rest knew her and they didn’t strike Skye as people who would let her get away with disappearing into the night. They would bring down the full weight of S.H.I.E.L.D; resources that no amount of clever hacking could hope to match. 

“It’s waterproof.” Skye said aloud, mimicking May’s statement with an obnoxious voice, as she pulled on thick rubber gloves before plunging the sponge into the hot, soapy water. “Yeah, well, that may be the case but I’m not going to take any chances. If this stupid thing got damaged I bet S.H.I.E.L.D would make me pay for it,” Skye mused aloud to no one in particular. “I bet they would charge me twenty-five hundred thousand dollars or something and then insist I pay it off by working for them at minimum wage for the next thirty years.” She scrubbed furiously at a stubborn bit of algae slime. “Though that would technically be better than my deal right now.” 

That was the other thing preventing her from running away – no funds. The Bus provided shelter and food but it wasn’t like she was getting paid a weekly salary for this. It was a little bit like being in prison, except that there was no end to her sentence in sight. And there was Netflix. 

When she finally managed to eradicate that one stubborn spot, Skye plopped back on her heels and heaved a sigh at the sight in front of her. Cleaning all of this was going to take hours and it was unlikely that anyone else would venture back down to help her after taking a shower. Skye let out a little moan of frustration and rubbed at an itch on her wrist. She was never speaking to May again.


	2. Chapter 2

Several hours later Skye stood motionless under the steaming hot shower and watched with no small degree of detachment as green muck slipped off her body and swirled down the drain. Every part of her ached. Skye didn’t try to fool herself into believing the ache was worth something; it was not some kind of penance that would end her isolation and regret on the Bus. Her shoulders heaved with a sigh and she reached out slowly for the small shower bar stuck in a niche in the wall to being washing up proper. It was a veritable miracle that there was still enough hot water left for a shower and Skye didn’t want to risk running out or someone coming to yell at her to stop wasting water. 

Goose pimples spread rapidly when she pulled back the curtain and shuffled over to the pile of clothes she had left on top of the toilet lid. For a brief moment, Skye noted that the bathroom was colder than normal, strangely so, before discarding the notion in favor of pulling on the oversized T-shirt and baggy pants that made up her PJs. The shower had not done enough to relieve her ache and now steady, throbbing headache had taken up residence just behind her eyeball sockets. She considered making a detour by the medicine stockpile in Jemma’s third lab drawer for some Tylenol before another yawn shook her body. 

Skye just didn’t have the energy right now. She crawled into bed and mentally told herself that she would take some tomorrow.

* * * *

Tomorrow comes and Jemma almost dies. Skye spends a good deal of the entire ordeal trying to suppress the urge to vomit. She tells Coulson and the rest that they have to something, anything, to prevent Jemma from dying but the reality is that Jemma really was the only person who could save herself. You can’t shoot a pathogen or terrify it into submission with some crazy Krav Maga moves. Hacking was an even more useless skill. Skye’s best plan had been some hazy thoughts about slipping the electronic leash long enough to hack into the Army’s database long enough to find out where General Crazy-Shit Ross was keeping his daughter, Betty, and fly off to wherever that was to beg her for help. 

Admittedly there were several flaws in that plan. 

But in the end, Jemma saved herself and them in a way that shot slivers of fear down Skye’s spin every time she thought about it. Skye rushed to embrace the slightly damp biochemist. 

 

“So how was the ocean? Chat up any interesting sea creatures while you were down there?” Skye tried for a teasing tone but the delivery fell a little flat. 

“Well I must confess that marine biology was never one of my strongest areas and the crash from my adrenaline rush numbed of a few of my observational skills.” Jemma said with a slightly lopsided grin. “Though admittedly the whole experience probably would have worked out a little better if I had just been infected by Dr. Kreptwski’s formula.” Fitz and Ward both flinched a little at that. 

“It was just a joke.” Jemma sighed. 

“Have a little humor. We could all use a little levity after today.” Skye moved to gently poke Ward’s side. He saw it coming scooted out of the way to glare at her. 

“The best thing to do right now would be for everyone to go to bed and rest. We’re on stand down for at least three days because of this.” Ward crossed his arms over his chest. “Infectious disease experts are certainly going to want to talk to Simmons tomorrow.” 

“And probably yell at me for breaking quarantine.” Leo said. “Hours and hours of yelling.” He didn’t look that upset at the prospect.


End file.
